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POS: Boost sales with afb and iPad
The afb Credit Management Solution is now available for mobile devices like the Apple iPad. This allows sales personnel at the point of sale to conduct the entire leasing and credit process - from the offer and application to the contract signing and contract management - from their mobile devices. The solution integrates seamlessly into afb"s overall solution, making it ideal for multi-channel implementation.
"When we were developing the iPad capability, we did not count on the fact that so many customers would be interested in the product", reports afb"s Managing Director Jan Ph. Wieners. "afb expects that with the Apple iPad, the mobile world will also find its way into stationary distribution." The main advantage is improved customer service: Retailers can essentially present a tailored leasing or credit offer directly from the vehicle - regardless of whether they are at the dealership or downtown. Says Wieners: "With the iPad, retailers have a clear competitive advantage: They can provide a more flexible financing process and thus offer their customers better service."
afb app fully integrated
This particularly applies if the new capability, like afb-CMS, builds a bridge to a central company application as this connection ensures consistent data and functions throughout the company as well as a uniform multi-channel approach. Regardless of whether customers receive leasing or credit offers online or from a sales representative supported by a PC or iPad, the automated business processes behind the transaction are always the same. The same holds true for customer evaluations as they are based on the same rating and scoring modules. It therefore seems likely that tablet devices like the iPad will take on a vital role in company-wide sales strategies in the future - on the condition that they achieve large-scale success.
The iPad"s sales figures indicate that the device is headed down that path: In the United States, 300,000 iPads flew off the shelves on release day alone. Market researchers from iSuppli project that approximately 13 million units will be sold this year, and by the end of 2012 that figure may even hit 100 million. The tablet concept is nothing new, so why, according to Forrester, are iPad unit sales predicted to surpass those of desktop computers by 2013?
Business-ready devices
For a start, the new devices take up less space than their tablet predecessors; they have a better, larger display and a significantly longer battery life. The iPad"s battery lasts about ten to twelve hours, which is plenty of time for a full sales day at a car dealership. Additionally, the concept of an app store is a recent invention. It allows providers to make approved solutions available quickly and securely.
However, a one-to-one transfer of functions and data from a PC to a mobile device is not enough; the touch screen, for instance, places special demands on the usability of the software. Furthermore, the ergonomics and functionality of the devices will continue to evolve, allowing software providers to offer their customers an increasing number of options. Even today, data and graphics can be moved with the touch of a fingertip in order to, for example, more clearly present them to consumers.
And another trend is starting to emerge: With the iPad, Apple will once again help a certain technology make a breakthrough, but the company won"t single-handedly dominate the market in the long term. As we"ve seen on the smartphone market, a multitude of competitors, such as Android-based systems, will arise. Software manufacturers will also have to take these other products into account in the future if they want their customers to achieve a greater degree of independence from hardware.
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